Combined phonograph and picture-exhibiting machine.



- I. W. NORGROSS. 1

COMBINED PHONOGRAPH AND PICTURE BXHIBITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.17,1906.

Patented Oct. 13,1908.

I. W. NORGROSS.

COMBINED PHONOGRAPH AND HGTURE EXHIBITING MACHINE.

' APPLIOATION I'ILED DEG. 17,1906.

4 SHEBTS-BHEET 2.

Patented Oct. 13, 1908.

I. W. NORGROSS.

GOMBINED PHONOGRAPH AND PICTURE EXHIBITING MAGHINE. I

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 17,1906. 900,875. Patented Oct. 13,1908. 4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

I. W. NORGROSS. COMBINED PHONOGRAPH AND PICTURE EXHIIBI'IING MACHINE.

AYILIUATION FILED DBO. 1.7, 1906. 900,875. Patented Oct. 13,1908,

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

75 g 70 72 EE-g 76 F in r YIIII/I/II/III/I/IIII/IIII/IIIIIIIIIII/I/IIIIIIII/IIIIIIIIII UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC W. NOROROSS, OF, NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T ELLSWORTH A. HAW- THORNE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 13, 1908.

Application filed December 17, 1906,. Serial No. 848,289.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, ISAAC W'. Noncnoss, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York city, New York, have invented certain Im rovements in a Combined Phonograph and Picture-Exhibiting Machine, of which the following is a s ecification.

My invention re ates to that class of machines in which'a picture exhibiting device is so combined with a phonograph that a series of pictures are exhibited successively in order to lllustrate the words of a song as the same are re roduced by the phonograph, the machine 'eing generally rovided with a coin slot attachment, where y, on the insertion of a com, the mechamsm is set 1n motion, suchmotion being automatically arrested and the parts readjusted for further '0 eration when the reproducerreaches the en of the phonoturning graph record, and the entire series of pictures has been exhibited.

One object of my invention is to provide for the roper synchronism in the movements of the picture exhibiting device and the reproducer of the phonograph, in order that the successively exhibited pictures will properly illustrate t e words of the song.

A further object is to provide a reliable automatic apparatus such that when started, as by the insertion of a coin the re roducer carriage will travel over the recor will then be automatically disconnected from the feeding device and connected to the device for reit to initial osition, and, when in that osition, will be isconnected from both the ceding and returning devices, and in which the'picture-holder is automatically operated in correspondence with the forward and return movements of the reproducer carriage.

A further object is to insure the lacing of each of the successively displayed pictures properly in the focus of the viewing ap aratus, and to retain it in such position until the words of the song require the exhibition of a succeeding picture; and a further object is to provide for the ready application of the ictures to and their removal from the exhi '1;- ing device.

These objects I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention, part of the casing and certain parts of the mechanism being removed in order to better illustrate the construction and o ,eration of the essential members of the mac ne Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, on a larger scale, of the upper portion of the machine. Fig. 3 is a perspective view, on a still larger scale, of certain of the members of the ma chine to which my invention particularly re lates Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a modified construction of said parts; Fig. 5'

is an enlarged face view of one of the picture holders of the exhibiting device; Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the same on the line a-a, Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a top view of the talking machine; Fig. 8 is a transverse section of the talking machine; and Fig. 9 is a detail view hereinafter referred to.

The machine has a base 1, upon which is mounted a suitable casing 2, wherein the operative parts of the mechanism are con tained so as to be inaccessible to the public or to any one except those authorized to have access thereto.

Mounted upon the base 1 is an electric motor 3, whose armature shaft is provided with a pulley 4 covered with vulcanized fiber, hard rubber, or other relatively hard material, the covering-of said .ulley being in frictional driving contact with a rim or tire 5, of leather, rubber or other relatively soft material, secured to the periphery of a wheel or disk 6 which is secured to a shaft 7 whose ends are rotatably mounted 'in bearings which are adjustable vertically in slotted posts 8 projecting upwardly from the base 9 of the motor.

The motor is slidably mounted upon said base 9 and is provided with suitable adjusting mechanism, whereby the force of the frictional contact between the covering of the pulley 4 and the rim 5 of the wheel 6 can be readily governed as desired.

Secured to the shaft 7 is a toothed pinion 10 which meshes with a toothed wheel 11, free to turn upon a stud projecting from an arm 12 which is secured to and is vertically adjustable upon a slotted post 13 on the base 9, and secured to or forming art of the toothed wheel 11 is a pulley 14 see dotted lines, Fig. 1), from WhlGll a belt 15 extends to a pulley 16 which is free to turn upon the. shaft 17 of the icture exhibiting device. The shaft 7 also has a pulley 18 which, by means of a belt ,19, drives a pulley 20 on the cylinder and reproducer carriage of the latter being represented, respectively, at 21 and 22 in Fig. 1.

The carriage 22 is provided with half-nuts 77 and 78 adapted to engage the feed and return screws and 56, respectively, (Fi s. 7 and 8) the carriage being arranged to sli e on a rod 72 and to swing about that rod to cause one or the other half-nut to engage its screw. Also the carriage has an arm or projection 73 adapted to engage the under or 11 per surface 0 a locking bar 74 having bevel ed ends (Fig. 9) and made in two parts adjustably secured together. so that the length of the bar may be varied to suit the length of the record cylinder. Also secured to the carriage 22 is an arm adapted to engage a spring 76 when the carriage nears the end of its feeding movement to ut the s ring under tension so that when 518 repro notion is finished and the projection 73 passes beyond the end of bar 74, the spring 76 will turn the carriage 22 on red 72 to disconnect the feed screw from. the carriage and connect the return screw to the carrla e.

The shaft 17 of the picture exhibiting device is driven b frictional connection with the pulley 16, t e outer face of said pulley having hung to it a series of levers 23 having at their inner ends friction pads 24 which can be caused to press with any desired degree of force against the outer face of a disk 25 secured to the shaft 17, the degree of ressure being regulated by means of a justin screws 26 hearing u on the levers 23 an having their threads stems adapted to correspondingthreaded openings in the pulley 16, whereby, although the said pulley 16 retates continuously, intermittent movement of the disk 25 and shaft 17 are permitted.

Secured to the shaft 17 are a pair of disks 27, disposed at such a distance apart as to permit of the placing between them of the icture holders of the exhibiting device, each disk havi a circular line of holes therein and a circu ar line of ins 29 projecting from the inner side thereoE-the holes being some distance from the axis of the shaft 17, and the pins 29 being some distance outwardly beyond said holes.

The holes in the disks 27 receive the journals of the picture holders, of which there may be as many as desired, the disks 27 being usuall provided with a suficient number of he es and pins to accommodate the maximum number of picture holders likely to be used.

Each picture holder is, by preference, acted upon by a spring 31 tending to maintain it normally in contact with its corresponding pin 29, although the use of such springs is not essential, as gravity may be relied upon, if desired, to insure the falling of the picture holders into position at the proper times.

co ers The holes in disks 27 and the pins 29 therein are so disposed that when each picture holder falls, as shown at a: (Fig. 2) into the focal range of the lenses with which the viewing apparatus 32 is provided, the back of said holder will contact with its respective pin 29 and the holder will be supported at the angle roper for the clear focusing of its picture. 11 order that the succeedin pictures of the set may not interfere wit the proper exhibition of the picture which is thus supported in the focal range of the lens, I provide a hold-back or stop 33 consisting of a pair of hooked fingers which engage With the outer edge of the picture holder above that carrying the picture which is in view and retain the same out of the field of the viewing ap aratus until a further forward movement 0 the rotatin carrier releases the holder from the controd of said hooked fin ers and permits it, in its proper turn, to fafi into the position x.

The pictures, when in position to be viewed, are lighted by means of an electric or other lamp 34 provided with a suitable reflector 35. The viewing device 32 is properlylocated in respect to an ear piece or ear pieces 36, each connected to the reproducer of the'phonograph by means of a flexible tube 37, shown in Fig.

The operation of the rotatable picture carrier is controlled by an escapein'ent device whose operation is, in turn, under control of the movable reproducer carriage of the Iphonograph, this escapement mechanism eing as follows: To the shaft 17 is secured a disk 37 of volute form, having upon one of its faces and adjacent to its outer edge a series of lugs or bosses 39, each of which carries a pin 40, which is radially adjustable in said lug or boss, and can be secured in position after adjustment by means of a set screw 41, (see Fig. 3), the disk having, at the point where its portion of least radius joins its portion of greatest radius, a projecting finger 42 having, at its base, a notch or recess 43, as shown in Fig. 3. Adjacent to the disk 37 is a vertical shaft 44, which has two projecting arms 45 and 46, the arm 45 constituting one member ofthe escapement device of which the projectin pins 40 and finger 42 constitute the ot er members. The arm 46 is connected by a jointed rod 47 to the reproducer carriage 22 of the phonograph in such manner that, as said carria e travels from the beginnin to the end of the record upon the record cy inder 21, the end of the arm 45 will swing outwardly from the axis of the disk 37, reverse movement of the carriage 22 causing corresponding reverse movement of the arm 45.

When the apparatus is in operation, the shaft 17 and t e parts connected thereto have a constant tendency to turn forwardly or in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1, be-

I cause of the contact with the diskof the friction pads upon the levers which are carried by the rotating pulley 16. Supposing that the reproducer carriage 22 is at the starting end of the record cylinder 21, the arm 45 will be at the inward limit of its movement and will be in contact with the first of the pins 40 of the escapement disk 37. As the reproducer carriage moves forwardl the arm 45 will swing outwardly until it Is finally free from contact with the first pin 40, whereupon there is aforward movement of the escapement disk 37 until the next pin 40 comes into contact with the arm 45, such movement being then arrested until further movement of sald arm causes it to clear said second pin and permit further forward movement of the escapement disk so as to bring the third pin 40 into contact with the arm, and so on in succession throughout the entire series of pins, until, by the time the reproducer carriage hasreached the finishing end of the record cylinder, the arm 45 will be in contact with the underside of the finger 42. As the reproducer carriage is moved backwardly the arm 45 swings inwardly in contact with the finger 42 until the back movement of the reproducer carriage is complete, at which time the end of said arm 45 is in line with the notch or recess 43 at the base of the finger 42, and the escapement disk 37 moves forwardly so as to bring the first pin 40 of the same again into contact with the arm.

The device is provided with a coin guide slot 50, which directs the coin into a tray or pan 51 carried by one arm 52 of a lever which is suitably pivoted to a standard 53 on the base plate of the phonograph instrument, and has 'a counterbalanced arm 54 which cooperates with the reproducer carriage 22.

When the carriage 22 is in the position of rest at the'st'arting end of the record cylinder, it is in its lowermost position, and is in engagement with the forwardly feeding screw of the phonograph, the arm 52 being elevated, and the arm 54 depressed and free from contact with the reproducer carriage. When a coin is deposited in the pan 51, however, it depresses the arm 52 of the lever and causes it to close the switch 55, whereby the electric current is conveyed to the motor 3 and lamp 34, and the apparatus is started, the same movement of the lever causing the raising of its arm 54. I

When the carriage nears the end of its ran e of movement when actuated by the fee screw 70, it engages and strains s ring 76 and as projection 73 passes beyon the end of locklng bar 74, the spring shifts the carriage so as to automatically disconnect it from the feed-screw and connect it to the return-screw 56. The latter moves the carriage back to its initial position, it being held be released bythe switch which holds arm 52 frictionally'. The motor circuit is thus opened, the motor sto ped and projection 73 passes below the en of arm 54, the turning movement of the carria e being arrested by the engagement of the alf-nut thereon with the feed-screw 70. Thou h arm 54 is released from projection 73, it oes not .turn to the position for closing the switch, due to the we1ght secured upon the arm, until another coin is inserted. In this forward and return movement of the carriage, the escapement device is actuated correspondingly and it will be seen that there is a direct connection between the carriage and escapement device whereb the escapement is positively o erated by the carriage in both directions ol movement of the latter and the additional strain on the carriage and feed-screw due to the actuation of the escapement thereby is so small as to be entirely negligible. Furthermore, the forward and return movements of the carriage are effected automatically as is also the stopping of the mechanism on the completion 0 these movements and the return of the carriageto starting position is effected without jarring of the parts.

The shaft 17 is mounted in suitable bearin s 57 on the opposite sides of the machine, one of these bearings being removed in Fig. 1 in order to illustrate the operative parts which it would otherwise hide.

Each of the picture holders of the exhibiting device is constructed as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and consists of a plate 60 of sheet metal having its upper end bent around and secured to a shaft 61, the ends of which are received in the openings in disks 27,and

form the journals about which the picture holders turn, said plate having, at each end, an inturned flange 62 which constitute the side guides and retainers for the picture, and, at the bottom, an upturned flange 63 which constitutes the bottom support and retainer therefor, the lower corners of the plate 60 being preferably cut away so as to permit the ready introduction of the u per corners of the picture into the lower en s of the side guides 62, which are, by preference, upturned or flared, as shown at 64 in Fig. 6, in order to facilitate such entrance.

In the upper .portion of the plate 60 are formed two slots 65, at some distance apart, so as to provide an intervening finger 66 whose upper end is bent forwardly and downward y in order to provide an elastic clip 67 for the upper edge of the picture,

whereby the latter, when applied to the holder, is firmly retained'in its proper osition therein. The plate 60 has formed t ereinone or more openings 69 in order to permit the picture to be readily grasped between the thumb and fingers when it is being inserted into or removed from the holder, the uncovering of the picture at the lower corners of the holder, also having this result.

When the picture is in position in the holder its base rests upon the bottom of the retainer 63, and its upper edge is some dis-- tance below the top-of the spring clip 67, as

shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5, and, in order to remove the picture from the holder, it is first pushed upward slightly in order to release its lower edge from engagement with the retainer 63, and is then moved outwardly and downwardly, the application of a picture to the holder being effected by the reversal of these operations. By this means the pictures can be readily ap lied to or. removed from the holders when t e door at the front of the machine is opened, no disarrangement either of the holders or of their carrier being re uired for the purpose.

t will be evident that with an escapement device of the character which I have described any desired number of pictures up to the maximum can be exhibited by'provi ing the escapement disk with a r0 er number of pins 40, and the time'at w ic each of the successive pictures shall be exhibited, and the length of time foreach exhibition can be accurately regulated to accord with the words of the song, the time of exhibition being governed by the distance apart of the pins 40, and the length of time of each exhibition being dependent upon the extent of radial rojection of its respective pin. Thus a brief exhibition of a picture is effected by so adjusting its corresponding pin 40 that it will but slightly overla the arm 45 when it comes into contact tlierewith, a longer period of exhibition resulting from a greater overla of said arm by the pin corresponding to sue picture.

The plane occupied by each picture at the exhibiting point a: can be varied by a forward or backward adjustment of the disk 37 on the shaft 17, or by an upward or downward adjustment of the arm 45 on the shaft 44, and the exhibiting point can thus be varied to accord with the focal range of the viewing lenses, or can be moved out of focus if desired.

While I refer the volute form for the esca ement disk 37, because it provides for a su stantially uniform projection of each pin 40 beyond the edge of the disk, it will be evident that a diflerent form might, if desired, be employed, with pins having different degrees of projection beyond the eriphery of the same, nor is it necessary t at the pins should proiect radially from the disk, since eoosvs the latter might, if desired, be constructed so as to provide for a projection of the pins in planes parallel with the axis of the disk, the ends of which Ipins will lie in an involute, one instance of t is construction being represented in Fig. 4, in which the escapement device consists of a circular disk 37 having around the periphery of the same projecting bosses 39 carrying pins 40, which are secured in position by means of set screws 4:1, the finger 42 pro'ecting from one face of the disk as shown. ither form of the device is intended to be included under the term volute as such term is used in the claims.

It will be evident that, although I have illustrated and described my invention in connectionwith a honograph having a rotating record cylinder, modifications in this respect may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

1 claim:

1. In a picture-exhibiting machine, a rotatable picture carrier comprising a shaft, disks secured thereto, a plurality of pins on the adjacent faces of the disks, and a plurality of picture-holders pivotally mounted on said disks, each of the lateral edges of each holder extending between a pair of adjacent pins on one of the disks and being free to move between them, substantially as described.

2. in a picture-exhibiting machine, a rotatable picture carrier comprising ashaft, disks secured thereto, a plurality of pins on the adjacent faces of the disks, a plurality of picture-holders pivotally mounted on said disks, each of the lateral edges of each holder extending between a pair of adjacent pins on one of the disks and being free to move between them, and a spring for each holder attached thereto at one end and to the carrier at the other, and a stop mounted stationarily with respect to the carrier and coacting with the holders to regulate the movements thereof, substantially as described.

3. In an instrument of the character described, a picture holder comprising a sheet metal plate provided with pivotal means at its upper edge and having, at its lower and side edges, card supporting and retaining flanges and at its upper edge a card supporting and retaining c 1p.

1. In an instrument of the character described, a picture holder comprising a sheet metal plate provided with pivotal means at its upper edge and having, at its lower edge, a card supporting and retaining flange and at its u per edge a card supporting and retaining c ip, and having its lower corners beveled to ex ose the corners of the card.

5. in an instrument of the character described, a picture holder comprising a sheet metal plate provided with pivotal means at its upper edge and having at its lower ed e a card supporting and retaining flange and at its u per edge a card supporting and retaining 0 ip, and having openm s formed in it to rmit of the grasping of t e card between the thumb and fingers.

6.. In an instrument of the character described, a picture holder comprising a sheet metal plate having pivotal means at its upper edge, a card su porting and retaining flange at its lower e ge, opposite retaining flanges, a spring clip at top, and means for permitting the manipulation of the card.

7. In an instrument of the character described, a picture holdercomprising a plate of sheet metal having a sup ortin andretaining flange at its lower e ge, side flanges with upturned lower ends, pivotal means and a clip for the card at the upper edge, and means 'for permitting manipulation of the card by the thumb and fingers.

8. The combination of a talkin machine having a reproducer carriage, a ibed screw and a return screw, means for automatically disconnecting one of said screwsfrom the carriage and connecting the other thereto, a rotatable carrier having a lurality of pictures mounted thereon, and an 'escapement device comprising a rotatable member and a part cooperating therewith to release and arrest the movement of said member intermittently, said part being operated directly and positively by said carriage as the latter is moved both by said feed-screw and said return-screw.

9. .The combination of a talking machine having a record support, areproducer carriage, a feed screw and a return screw, means for connecting one of said screws in cooperative relation to said carriage, means for automatically disconnecting said screw from the carriage and connecting the other screw in cooperative relation thereto, means for automatically discontinuing the movement of the reproducer carriage actuated. by either of said'screws, a rotatable carrier having a plurality of pictures mounted thereon, and means controlled by the movement of said carriage when actuated by both of said screws for intermittently rotating said carrier, substantially as described.

10. The combination of a talking machine having a record support, a reproducer carriage, a feed screw and a return screw, means for connecting one of said screws in cooperative relation to said carriage, means for automatically disconnecting said screw from the carriage and connecting the other screw in cooperative relation thereto, means for automatically discontinuing the movement of the reproducer carriage actuated by either of said screws, a rotatable carrier having a plurality of ictures mounted thereon, a rotatable mem er, a friction clutch between said member and said carrier, a motor connected in driving relation to said record support and to said member, and an escapement device operated by said carriage when the latterlis actuated by both of sand screws for permitting said member to drive the carrier intermittently, substantially as described.

, 11. The combination of a talking machine having a rotatable record support, a reproducer carriage, and two screws tor moving the carriage over the record in opposite directions, means for connecting one of said screws to the carriage, means for automatically disconnecting sa1d screw from and connecting the other screw to the carriage, means for automatically disconnectir-ig both screws from the carriage after the latter has made a forward and return movement, a carrier having a plurality of pictures mounted thereon, means for rotating the carrier, and an escapement device operated by said carriage during its forward and return movement and controlling the rotation of said carrier, substantially as described. I

12. The combination of a talking machine having a rotatable record support, a reproducer carriage and two screws for moving the carriage over the record in opposite directions, means for connecting one of said screws to the carriage, means for automatically disconnecting one of said screws from and connecting the other to the carriage, means for automatically disconnecting both screws from the carriage after the latter has made a forward and return movement, a carrier having a plurality of pictures thereon, a rotatable member, a clutch between the same and said carrier, a motor connected in drivin relation. to said record support and sai member, and an escapement device operated by said carriage during its forward and return movement and controlling the rotation of said carrier, substantially as described.

13. The combination of a talking machine having a rotatable record support, a repro-' the carriage over the record in opposite directions, means for connecting one of said screws to the carriage, means for automatically disconnecting one of said screws from and connecting the other to the carriage, means for automatically disconnecting both screws from the carriage after the latter has made a forward and return movement, a carrier having a plurality of pictures thereon, a rotatable member, a clutch between the same and said carrier, a motor connected in driving relation to said record support and said member, a plurality of stops spirally arranged and rotating with said carrier, an arm pivotally mounted and coacting with said stops to arrest rotation of said carrier, and a connection between said arm and the reproducer for moving the arm positivelyas the reproducer is moved back and forth,

riage, a feed-screw and a return screw, means for connecting one of said screwsin co6perative relation to said carriage, means for automatically disconnecting said screw from the carriage and connecting the other screw in cooperative relation thereto, means for automatically discontinuing the movement of the reproducer can'iagie actuated by either of said screws, a rotatab e carrier having a plurality of pictures thereon, a lurality of stops spirally arranged and rotating with said carrier, an arm plvotally mounted and coacting with said stops to arrest rotation of said carrier, and a connection between said arm and the reproducer for moving the arm positively as the reproducer is moved back and forth, substantially as described.

seems I 15. The combination of a talking machine having a record support, a reprmlucer, and means for automatically moving the same back and forth over the record on said support, a rotatable picture'carrier, a pluralit 0f stops spn'ally arranged and rotatmg wit 1 sald carrier, a pivota y mounted shaft, an arm-thereon coactingJ with said sto s, and a positive connection etween said s aft and said reproducer, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ISAAC W. NOROROSS.

Witnesses:

HAMILTON D. TURNER, KATE A. BEADLE. 

